Good teams can score anywhere. Great teams can defend anywhere. Celtic have set a modern time record for lowest goals conceded in a league campaign of 17, beating the record jointly held by Martin O’Neill’s Celtic 13 years ago, and by Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the 80s, by a single goal.
This is a remarkable achievement but the bald fact hides another story. We conceded 12 times in their first 17 league games of the campaign, but conceded only five in the remaining 21 games:
St Johnstone scored with a rebound after Gordon saved.
St Johnstone scored when Danny Swanson fired unstoppable shot.
Inverness scored with a rebound after Johansen blocked on line.
Kilmarnock scored a deflection from shot from outside box.
Dundee scored from a move which opened Celtic defence.
Unstoppable shots, or deflections, from outside the box are, from a defensive organisation perspective, irrelevant. If someone ‘buys a lottery ticket’ with a low percentage shot and it ends up in the net, you’ve no remedial action to worry about.
Two rebounds ended up in the net. We don’t make many goal-line clearances, by keeper or defender, so reacting to the second ball is worth doing when opponents get inside the Celtic box. Dundee scored an 87th minute consolation in a game they were completely out-thought. Perhaps a momentary lapse from a Celtic team who thought their work was done for the day.
That 17 goal tally, a record which stretches back 96 years, is largely a story of the last six months, but it’s been a different story in cup games over the same period, where we’ve conceded eight in eight games.
The roof fell in over in the first half against Inter Milan at Celtic Park. While the three goals could be put down to bizarre mistakes I suspect the real story is that we didn’t have the game-plan right for an opponent of that standard. The remaining game and a half against Inter was different, where we conceded only a single ‘lottery ticket’ goal.
Dundee United scored with a disputed penalty (let’s not get started) and Inverness scored three against 10 man Celtic. Those three Inverness goals contrast so sharply with the rest of the season that you could conclude that we don’t have a robust game-plan for playing with 10 men against domestic opposition. The earlier 10-man performance at the San Siro was a different (much better) story, but tactics for Inter Milan and for Inverness will always be so different they are not worth comparing.
The loss of Jason Denayer and potential loss of Virgil van Dijk provides Ronny with a real challenge to maintain or improve the defence next season, but as you will know if you’ve been paying attention for the last 10 months, it’s all about systems, not players, so there’s a lot to be hopeful about going forward…….. apart from the fact that the only goals we’ve conceded since the middle of December in all competitions were to players wearing blue or orange!
Happy Lisbon Lions Day!
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Hallelujah
I agree with an Ernie Lynch post !
a great read into the great man Ronny Deila
http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/showthread.php?t=148905
tonydonnelly67
11:42 on 26 May, 2015
Naw, Motherwell will hump them, and I will need a sedative….!!!!
karma is when scott macdonald scores the winning goal for motherwell against sevco this sunday
new article posted.
LiviBhoy 09: 58
Someone (I think it was thunder road apols if not) said they admire when people say what they wanted to but more eloquently(or something like that)
your post made me feel like that……….exactly what I would like to but could never write
HH
Livibhoy
You’re probably right about the cost of Boruc. Would have been nice to see him come home.
Not sure about a replacement for Zaluska, maybe just give him another deal for a year?
Don’t forget to keep pushing the anti OB petition every signature counts
https://www.change.org/p/the-scottish-government-repeal-the-offensive-behaviour-at-football-threatening-communications-scotland-act-2012?just_created=true
Not seen petec on since our game.
He got a Paradise windfall ticket just before we went through the turnstiles but his ticket had 666 in the code!
Got a picture in my head of him locked in a room filled with candles and sitting cross legged on the floor inside a pentagram. lol :)
Ernie Lynch
Celtic have no authority on the matter.
There is no point it being pointed out that the FIFA magazine carries no authority to make any statement they issue either factual or an official FIFA ruling, then using another non authority to support the opposite case.
Same applies to ECA, ASA etc, even to the CQN SH advert. So whilst Celtic making a statement would no doubt satisfy supporters that Celtic support their view, in the grand scheme of putting the record straight it would matter not one jot.
Weighing up the benefit of such a statement that would change nothing in real terms and the cost in terms of how it would be used to portray Celtic who have no authority on the matter, I can understand why Celtic say no more on than they did (via the SLO I believe).
The SFA have the authority if the member clubs mandate them to make a statement (you see the problem there) that would carry weight but, in the absence of any will for the commercial reasons you state to do so, the SFA will say nothing.
UEFA’S stance on clubs suffering as RFC did is contained in Art12 of UEFA FFP where clubs have to have at least three years national association membership to be an eligible club AS UEFA DEFINE A CLUB to play in a UEFA competition.
Now if somehow an answer could be solicited from UEFA with regard to from when TRFC would become eligible to play in Europe should they qualify on sporting merit then we might get somewhere.
As I recall Phil Mac tried this approach only to get a stock referal to UEFA rules because UEFA would not comment on a specific club.
I think that a better understanding of the overall governance system within which Celtic have to operate would be beneficial in adding balance to some of the criticisms Celtic face but that is something for the Celtic PR to address.
However if I were them I would counter with the question what difference would it make? Some attitudes are set in concrete.
Someone mentioned a question at the AGM. A question would carry no real weight.
It would require a resolution to be tabled to get an answer.
I think I have just given it at the start.
AULDHEID 1202
Celtic are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
IMO they genuinely believed that there was no need for them to voice any disapproval of their zombification. Due process would take care of that.
There was and is a raft of legal obstacles barring their way from becoming what the want to be. Which is Continuity Rangers(!)
Whodathunk that the Scottish Establishment would permit such a travesty of justice?
Tbh,I didnt. And I don’t think Celtic did either.
Oops.
Wrang bliddy page!
BMCUWP
Scottish football went through the looking glass after RFC were liquidated.
Same club.
Did nothing wrong but one long series of clerical error
No sporting advantage.
Things like illegal ebts and their impact airbrushed from history.
Documents witheld . Read this
http://www.sfm.scot/sfm-the-next-steps/comment-page-14/#comment-55545
You would think none of this happened in Scot La La land.
Auldheid,
You say that RFC withheld the letters, have you considered they were instructed to do this by the SFA ?
space &nsbsp;&nsbsp; space
well, that worked didn’t it?
something something
something else etc
something else etc
something else etc
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longer name number number
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Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25/3
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25/3
Fisher 79 1965/25/3
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25
Fisher 98 195/2
Griffiths 100 2295/23
Stokes 113 2610/23
Commons 128 2945/23
Berget 135 405/3
Scepovic 150 1050/7
Mackay-Steven 167 1000/6
Johansen 187 4850/26
Forrest 195 1560/8
Mcgregor 222 2000/9
Wakaso 245 735/3
Henderson 258 515/2
O’Connell 270 270/1
Lustig 290 1160/4
Armstrong 303 1210/4
Van Dijk 320 5120/16
Matthews 365 2920/8
Brown 389 4280/11
Tonev 495 495/1
Izaguirre 507 5070/10
Denayer 547 3830/7
Bitton 668 3340/5
Mulgrew 770 1540/2
Ambrose 798 3190/4
Players with no goals/assists Minutes played
Gordon 4560
Zaluska 515
Kayal 500
Forster 360
Mcgeough 90
Boerrigter 70
Tierney 70
Twardzik 45
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25
Fisher 98 195/2
Griffiths 100 2295/23
Stokes 113 2610/23
Commons 128 2945/23
Berget 135 405/3
Scepovic 150 1050/7
Mackay-Steven 167 1000/6
Johansen 187 4850/26
Forrest 195 1560/8
Mcgregor 222 2000/9
Wakaso 245 735/3
Henderson 258 515/2
O’Connell 270 270/1
Lustig 290 1160/4
Armstrong 303 1210/4
Van Dijk 320 5120/16
Matthews 365 2920/8
Brown 389 4280/11
Tonev 495 495/1
Izaguirre 507 5070/10
Denayer 547 3830/7
Bitton 668 3340/5
Mulgrew 770 1540/2
Ambrose 798 3190/4
Players with no goals/assists Minutes played
Gordon 4560
Zaluska 515
Kayal 500
Forster 360
Mcgeough 90
Boerrigter 70
Tierney 70
Twardzik 45
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25
Fisher 98 195/2
Griffiths 100 2295/23
Stokes 113 2610/23
Commons 128 2945/23
Berget 135 405/3
Scepovic 150 1050/7
Mackay-Steven 167 1000/6
Johansen 187 4850/26
Forrest 195 1560/8
Mcgregor 222 2000/9
Wakaso 245 735/3
Henderson 258 515/2
O’Connell 270 270/1
Lustig 290 1160/4
Armstrong 303 1210/4
Van Dijk 320 5120/16
Matthews 365 2920/8
Brown 389 4280/11
Tonev 495 495/1
Izaguirre 507 5070/10
Denayer 547 3830/7
Bitton 668 3340/5
Mulgrew 770 1540/2
Ambrose 798 3190/4
Players with no goals/assists Minutes played
Gordon 4560
Zaluska 515
Kayal 500
Forster 360
Mcgeough 90
Boerrigter 70
Tierney 70
Twardzik 45
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25
Fisher 98 195/2
Griffiths 100 2295/23
Stokes 113 2610/23
Commons 128 2945/23
Berget 135 405/3
Scepovic 150 1050/7
Mackay-Steven 167 1000/6
Johansen 187 4850/26
Forrest 195 1560/8
Mcgregor 222 2000/9
Wakaso 245 735/3
Henderson 258 515/2
O’Connell 270 270/1
Lustig 290 1160/4
Armstrong 303 1210/4
Van Dijk 320 5120/16
Matthews 365 2920/8
Brown 389 4280/11
Tonev 495 495/1
Izaguirre 507 5070/10
Denayer 547 3830/7
Bitton 668 3340/5
Mulgrew 770 1540/2
Ambrose 798 3190/4
Players with no goals/assists Minutes played
Gordon 4560
Zaluska 515
Kayal 500
Forster 360
Mcgeough 90
Boerrigter 70
Tierney 70
Twardzik 45
Player Minutes per goal/assist Minutes played/goals & assists
Pukki 67 200/3
Guidetti 79 1965/25
Fisher 98 195/2
Griffiths 100 2295/23
Stokes 113 2610/23
Commons 128 2945/23
Berget 135 405/3
Scepovic 150 1050/7
Mackay-Steven 167 1000/6
Johansen 187 4850/26
Forrest 195 1560/8
Mcgregor 222 2000/9
Wakaso 245 735/3
Henderson 258 515/2
O’Connell 270 270/1
Lustig 290 1160/4
Armstrong 303 1210/4
Van Dijk 320 5120/16
Matthews 365 2920/8
Brown 389 4280/11
Tonev 495 495/1
Izaguirre 507 5070/10
Denayer 547 3830/7
Bitton 668 3340/5
Mulgrew 770 1540/2
Ambrose 798 3190/4
Players with no goals/assists Minutes played
Gordon 4560
Zaluska 515
Kayal 500
Forster 360
Mcgeough 90
Boerrigter 70
Tierney 70
Twardzik 45